miss universe 2012

 

first American in 15 years to win coveted title

• Olivia Culpo, a 20-year-old from Rhode Island, wins Miss Universe
• First American to win the crown at Donald Trump's event since 1997
• Miss Culpo's brother describes her as 'chubby and sort of weird' when she was younger

By Associated Press
PUBLISHED: 07:23 GMT, 20 December 2012 | UPDATED: 08:57 GMT, 28 December 2012            

 

A 20-year-old Boston University sophomore and a self-described 'cellist-nerd' brought the Miss Universe crown back to the U.S. for the first time in more than a decade when she won the televised contest on Wednesday.
Olivia Culpo beat 88 other beauty queens to take the title from Leila Lopes of Angola during the two-hour competition at the Planet Hollywood casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
In a refreshing change, the Miss Universe title, which makes Olivia unequivocally one of the world's most beautiful women, appears to have been bestowed on a girl with a healthy streak of normality.

Crowning achievement: Miss USA, Olivia Culpo reacts after being named Miss Universe 2012 beside last year's winner Leila Lopes of Angola, right, during the Miss Universe Pageant at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas

Swarmed: Miss Culpo is surrounded by contestants after being crowned Miss Universe 2012

Costume change: Miss Culpo went from sexy to elegant as she switched from the swimsuit portion of the night to the evening gown competition

Following the win, her brother told CBS that she was 'really chubby and sort of weird when she was younger' while her father said Olivia was the 'nerdiest' of his five children.
Family pictures show Olivia goofing around with friends as she gets pushed along in a shopping cart and playing with her siblings Peter, Gus, Sophia and Aurora. 
Indeed, her family appears to be taken back by her decision to enter the world of pageants, something they knew nothing about. 
Olivia won Miss Rhode Island last year while wearing a $20 rental dress. She then became the first Miss USA winner from Rhode Island when she took the national crown in Las Vegas in June.
She grew up in Cranston as the middle child of five with two professional musicians for parents, Susan and Peter Culpo.
She graduated from St Mary Academy Bay View in 2010 and is a member of the National Honor Society. Her love of Italian led her to spend two summers studying in Milan. 
The 20-year-old has played the cello alongside world-renowned classical musician Yo-Yo Ma and performed at Carnegie Hall.

Shop til you drop: Miss Universe Olivia Culpo larks around in a shopping cart

Genetically blessed: Olivia Culpo with her mother Susan at home

Happy holidays: Olivia (left), Aurora and their brother Peter on holiday in Italy when they were young

An American had not won the right to be called Miss Universe since Brook Lee won the title in 1997.
Culpo wore a tight navy blue mini-dress with a sequined bodice as she walked on stage for the competition's opening number.
Later in the night, she strutted in a purple and blue bikini, and donned a wintery red velvet gown with a plunging neckline. Culpo's coronation ends a long losing spell for the U.S. in the competition co-owned by Donald Trump and NBC.

 

More...

• Thinking of signing her up early? Holly Madison shows off her growing baby bump at Miss Universe pageant
• Beauty queen resigns her title after causing four-car pile-up while 'drunk-driving' (but doesn't she look lovely in her mug shot)
• Two of the guns found at the scene of shootout between Mexican drug cartel and state officials were linked to Fast and Furious scandal

Culpo was good enough during preliminary competitions to be chosen as one of 16 semifinalists who moved on to compete in the pageant's finale.
Her bid lasted through swimsuit, evening wear, and interview competitions that saw cuts after each round. She won over the judges, even after tripping slightly during the evening gown competition. Telecasters pointed it out but also noted her poised recovery.
She told the Today show on Thursday that with the heels and gown she was wearing it was inevitable she tripped and was lucky not to 'fall flat on her face'.
She also said that in her new role as Miss Universe, she would be using her ability to travel internationally to raise awareness of HIV/Aids.

Hosts with the most: Andy Cohen and Giuliana Rancic co-hosted the event, but who can forget the larger-than-life personality who owns the competition - Donald Trump

You're hired! Donald Trump and Miss Universe 2012 Olivia Culpo

Crowned: Olivia Culpo elevated her status from Miss USA to Miss Universe last night in Sin City

Minutes before Miss Culpo was crowned on Wednesday night, she was asked whether she had she had ever done something she regretted.
'I'd like to start off by saying that every experience no matter what it is, good or bad, you'll learn from it.
'That's just life,' she said. 'But something I've done I've regretted is probably picking on my siblings growing up, because you appreciate them so much more as you grow older.'
Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, came in second, while Miss Venezuela, Irene Sofia Esser Quintero, placed third.
All the contestants spent the past two weeks in Sin City, where they posed in hardhats at a hotel groundbreaking, took a painting lesson, and played pranks on hotel guests by hiding in their rooms.

Walk this way: 20-year-old Culpo competes in the swimwear section of the competition

Sister act: Olivia (left) with her siblings Aurora and Sophia (right)

Beauty queen-in-the-making: Olivia Culpo on her 18th birthday

On her Miss Universe page, she said she hopes to pursue a career in film or television, and cites Audrey Hepburn as a role model because of her 'generosity, intelligence and grace'.
With Culpo's promotion, Miss Maryland Nana Meriwether becomes the new Miss USA.
The Miss Universe pageant was back in Las Vegas this year after being held in Sao Paulo in 2011. It aired live on NBC and was streamed to more than 100 countries.

Friends to the end: Miss Philippines, Janine Tugonon, left, holds hands with Miss USA Olivia Culpo before the decision was announced

On display: Miss Brazil, Gabriela Markus, left, and Miss Peru, Nicole Faveron, right, grace the stage

Keep smiling! Miss USA 2012, Olivia Culpo, Miss Australia 2012, Renae Ayris, and Miss Philippines 2012, Janine Tugonon, appear on stage after being named as top five finalists following the evening gown competition

Organizers had considered holding the 61st annual Miss Universe in the popular Dominican Republic tourist city of Punta Cana, but Miss Universe Organization President Paula Shugart said that country's financial crisis proved to be too much of an obstacle.
The panel of ten judges included singer Cee Lo Green, Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto and Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants.
Asked on the red carpet whether he found playing in the World Series or judging the beauty pageant to be more difficult, Sandoval said both were hard.
Sharply dressed women and men, including a large contingent from South America, held banners and cheered on their favorite contestants.

Glamour: Miss Hungary Agnes Konkoly, left, and Miss Australia, Renae Ayris, right, wear similar two-pieces during the swimsuit competition

Glamor: The finalists of Miss Universe line up on the stage at the competition on the Las Vegas strip

The pageant started as a local revue in Long Beach, California, organized by Catalina Swimwear.
It is not affiliated with the Miss America pageant and unlike that contest, does not include a talent section.
Contestants in the pageant cannot have been married or have children. They must be younger than 27 and older than 18 by February 1 of the competition year.
As Miss Universe, Culpo will receive an undisclosed salary, a wardrobe fit for a queen, a limitless supply of beauty products, and a luxury apartment in New York City.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2250920/Miss-Universe-2012-winner-Olivia-Culpo-Miss-USA-15-years-win-coveted-title.html#ixzz2pO5EUvHw
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook